Raspberry Dark Chocolate Scones

Let’s talk about scones.  Buttery, tender, delicious scones.  I’ve eaten my fair share of them, but I had never actually made scones.  So I decided to change that this past weekend.  I had some gorgeous raspberries just begging to be made into a delicious breakfast, and this recipe seemed like the perfect way to use them up and try out a new pastry!  I did not have white chocolate on hand, so I decided to use dark chocolate instead.  A little chocolate with breakfast is always a good thing – my grandfather taught me that!

So back to scones. I’ve seen them made on TV a thousand times. They always make it look so pretty and neat.  Let me tell you, my prebaked scones were pretty (because when is butter and sugar and flour not pretty?), but they sure weren’t neat!  This dough is really wet!   The recipe warned that the dough would be “slightly unmanageable” and it wasn’t kidding.  I felt like I was working with slightly dry muffin batter rather than dough!  But the recipe also mentions that “not adding additional flour results in tender scones”, and I certainly wanted my scones to be tender.  So when it was time to form the dough into a circle and cut it into scones, I turned my dough out onto a floured silicone mat, which really helps with the dough not sticking.  I also floured my hands very well, and just tried to to work the dough as little as possible. It was a bit messy getting these scones onto the cookie sheet, but once I did it was totally worth it!  The baked scones are so light and tender.  There is chocolate and raspberry in every bite, with just a hint of sweetness. So I’d say my first venture into scones was a success, although I can’t wait to practice more with other recipes!  I see pumpkin scones in my future…

My raspberries broke apart in the dough, but I don’t mind because then you get some berry in every bite!

I just love chocolate for breakfast!

This is what happens when you take pictures before your eat breakfast…suddenly half the scone was gone…

The dough itself is not overly sweet, so make sure to sprinkle the top with plenty of granulated sugar if you like a sweeter scone

Raspberry Dark Chocolate Scones
Recipe from Pastry Affair

Ingredients
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (42 grams) granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
6 ounces (170 grams) raspberries
½ cup (85 grams) dark chocolate chips
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender (or your fingers) until the mixture becomes coarse crumbs. Gently fold in the raspberries and dark chocolate chips.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg, vanilla, and heavy cream. Pour into the dry ingredients, and lightly mix until the dough comes together. The dough will be sticky.

Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface (a silicone mat works well), form it into a circle, and flatten until it is about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife dipped in flour, cut 8 equal wedges. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet using a flat spatula dipped in flour. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with granulated sugar. Be generous with the sugar, as the scone dough itself isn’t overly sweet. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. until lightly browned.